![[Eugene Bradley]](images/founderssignature.jpg)
| Santa Clara VTA | Riders Union |
Santa Clara VTA Riders Union P. O. Box 390069 Mountain View, CA 94039-0069 September 29, 2003 The Honorable Ron Gonzales, Mayor City of San José 801 N. First Street San José, CA 95110 RE: 9/30/2003 City Council Meeting - Item 11.3 – Rezoning of 1303 Lick Ave. Dear Mayor Gonzales: It has come to our attention that you and the San José City Council will be voting on the rezoning of the property at 1303 Lick Avenue – also known as the "Alma Bowl" development project - at the upcoming City Council meeting on September 30. SCVTARU supports transit-oriented development such as what is proposed for the Alma Bowl site. High-density development of housing near Tamien station - a hub for VTA buses, light rail, and Caltrain – will help encourage future residents of the project to use mass transit as an alternative to driving for mobility. To maximize the chances that the “Alma Bowl” project will be a successful "transit-oriented" development, open space and retail usage must also be included as part of the proposal. This is per the 1995 Specific Plan for Tamien that calls for a mixed-use, transit-friendly "village" for the Tamien Light Rail station. However, it has also come to our attention and verified by our founder, Eugene Bradley, that no public input from users of the station had been solicited regarding the changes to the plan. SCVTARU would like to know why there has been hardly any outreach to users of the Tamien station regarding the plan and its changes, and what is being done to prevent this problem for future proposed “transit-oriented” development in San José. According to our research, the nearest retail shopping in the area existed over half a mile away (at least a 15 minute walk) on Minnesota and Byrd Streets (Albertson's). As a result, many of the Alma Bowl project's future residents would be forced to drive an automobile to access retail or other commercial establishments. This would result not only in reduced transit ridership, but also more traffic and more pollution in our air – negating the benefits of "transit-oriented" development such as the proposed Alma Bowl project. As you also sit on the VTA Board of Directors, SCVTARU is sure you are aware of the drop in bus and light rail ridership by 13% and 25% respectively from this time nearly three years ago. SCVTARU has noted that poor land use decisions made by San José's leaders in the last 50 years are one of the reasons why mass transit in the South Bay is underutilized and a poor alternative to driving. "Transit-oriented" development such as the proposed Alma Bowl project, when planned and constructed correctly, increases mass transit ridership, reduces pollution in our air, and ultimately improves the quality of life in areas such as the Tamien neighborhood. To that end, SCVTARU encourages you and the San José City Council to include mixed-use development in addition to residential development when they vote on the Alma Bowl project at the September 30 City Council meeting. Sincerely,
Eugene Bradley Founder, Santa Clara VTA Riders Union /eeb
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